Apparatus for cracking oil



May 21, 1929. A SCHWARZ 1,114,454

APPARATUS FOR CRACKING OIL Original Filed March 25, 1925 Pump Patented, May 21, 1929. p

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oFFicE.

ALFRED SCHWARZ, or Urrnn MoN'rcLAin, ivnwJEasEY, Assieivon 'ivo` cOAI'. AND O11. PRODUCTS CORPORATION, A CORPORATION or :DELAWARE APPARATUS FOR GRACXING OIL.

Original application filed March 25, 1925,' Serial No. 18,076. Dividedand this application lill'ell Iay 20,

This is a division o'f my application Serial No. 18,076 filed March 25, 1925.

This invention relates to an apparatus for. what is knownv as oil cracking and gasmaking combined. Heretofore oil cracking has been usually carried on in stills of a tubular or shell type, and Vgas making has `been largely a separate process, only small amounts of gas having been produced incident to oil cracking and as a matter of fact in oil cracking o erations it was the aim heretofore to avoi the production of gas as much as possible. My apparatus however, is designed to combine both operations and utilize the waste heat from gas making for externally heating oil distilling apparatus, and alsoto utilize the heat of the gases to promote the cracking of oils by passing the same into direct Contact with the carbon in the producer as well as joining inthe vapors l from the distilling apparatus, thus giving opportunities for heat exchange and cli-emi cal reactions as well.

The installation consists briefly of a gas producer which is operated not unlike an ordinary water gas producer, usually intermittent when water gas is 'to be made. The Jwaste heat from the blowing period isl conducted to any suitable oil still and the vapors from the oil still are passed to a fractionating tower where the hot gases from the producer join the latter, still hot enough to cause chemical interchange, at leastinthe lower section of said tower. Fractionatin and 36' refluxing devices are included in the installation thus gradually cracking and segregating the light products from such cracking operation and returning the medium products back into the cracking stillfcircuits 40 while .the tarry constituents are uniped from the bottom of the still into t e producer and there cracked into carbon land light oils and gas, and the v' gas vapor mixture resulting from lsuch operation after passing through the yreflux tower being assed through a condenser where gas and uids are separated,

e invention will be understood from the-description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which two arrangementsfof apparatus are shown. Inthe drawings, IFig. 1 isI a somewhat diagrammatic view showing the arrangement of the apparatus, parts being shown in section', to

`ber 14 that is provided with an outlet Serial No. 31,660.

carry out the' process and Fig. 2'is a similar view showing a vmodified arrangement of apparatus. 4

In the drawings, reference character 1 indicates a gas roducer somewhat similar to those common y used, the same being modiied,' however, so as to provide an upper still portion and adapt it especially for carrying out-the present invention. The producer 1 coal hopper 7 controlled yby a valve 8 leads y to the chamber 3 and the hopper 7 is supplied from a suitable source 9 -that is provided with a'valve 10 which may be opened 'and closed at will for feeding a charge of coal to the hopper 7.

The producer 1 is also provided with a grate. 11 below which steam ma be' introduced into the producer throng the inlet -pipe 12, controlled by valves. 36, from any convenient source. A ,valve controlled'pi e 13, controlled by valve 38, leads. from t e producer 1 tangentially into a settling cham-v i e 15 controlled bythe valve 16. A pipe 11'; eads from upper portion of the settler 14 to a fractionating tower 18 whichis provided with the usual shelves 19. 'This fractionat` ing tower may also be filled, if desirable, with-porous material such as coke, broken brick or the like. Reflux pipes, one -of which is shown at.22, lead from the shelves to the lower end of the ractionating tower and a valved branch 24 may lead to a storage or supply tank. 4A pipe 25 leads from the fractionating tower 18 to a condenser 26 that may be cooled in any convenient manner. A ipe 28 leadsfrom this condenser to a tan 29 that'is provided with-valved overflows or drains 30 and 31. A pipe 34 leads from the tank 29 through a pump 35 to a gasholder not shown. If desired two producers 1 may be connected to the tower 18, the same being operated alternately.

A branch pipe 39 provided with va'valve 43 leads from the pipe 12 to the injector 40, having valve 44. The suction end `of the injector 40 is connected by a pipe 41, controlled by valve 45, to the supply tank 42 for oil that is to be cracked. A valved pipe 46 leads from the injector 40 to the cover cap 6. The oil from tank 42 may be forced into the gas producer 1 b means of the injector 40 when gravity eed isv not provided or a pump may feed the same. The discharge from pipe l of separator 14' and from the pipe of the ractionatin tower 18 maybe vintroduced intothe suppy tank i 42 if desired. A blower 47, provided with valve 49, may be used for starting the fire in the producer 1.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2 many of the devices are identical with` those already described in connection with Fig. 1.

and such parts are indicated vby the same reference character with the .suffix a". This arrangement differs in certain respects from that shown in Fig. 1. The outlet pipe 4a leads into a heating chamber 50 in which a still 53'is placed. This still is provided with tubes 51 which lead to a stack 52. A valved pipe 55 leads from the still 53 to the valved pipe 17, that leads directly from the gas producer 1a to the fractionating tower 18a. One or more valved reflux pipes 22 lead. from the shelves 19 to points below the liquid level in still 53. Two or more gas producers 1a may be connected to the still 53 and the fraetionating tower 18a and operated alternately. A pipe 41a leads from near the bottom of the still 53 through a pump 57 to an injector 40a. Steam may be admitted to the injector 40a through the p ipe 39a lfrom any convenient source and a p1pe 46a leads from the injector to the capta of the gas producer. j

The upper end of the tower 18 or 18a may be jacketed and the supply of water thereto may be controlled or regulated by means of valved' pipes as shown at l60 (Fig. 2) so as to introduce steam or water around the upper portion thereof.

The process may be operated in two ways which may be termed continuous and intermittent respectively. In operating by the so-called continuous method, fire is started in the producer 1 on the grate 11, coal or coke is then charged into the chamber 2 until it is filled nearly to below chamber #3. The blower 47 is started with the valve 5 open and the valves 8, 36, 38, 43,

and 45 closed. The fire is blown until the temperature near the top of the coke or coal reaches apprximately 700` to 1000 F. When this temperature is reached the blowing is interrupted, th'e valve 38 is opened and the pump'35 is started. The vacuum injector 40 so that the -atomized militairesv of the producer acts as a temporary retainer for the oil and the high temperature in this region will begin to crack the oil. The vapors therefrom will pass downwardly into a hotter region where more cracking will ,take place and carbon will be deposited, the

vapors or gaseous products finally passing into the pipe and through the settling chamber 14 where suspended particles will be deposited and the vapors will then pass through a pipe 17 into the column 18 where the vapors are fractionated, the uncondensed portion passing through pipe 25A and condenser 26 wherefromthe uncondensed gases land the' condensate pass into the receiving tank 29 ,wher'e the water settles to the bottom and is withdrawn through the p1pe Y30 while the oil 'is withdrawn through the pipe 31, the fixed gases passing through the pipe 34 and pump 35 to a place of consumption or to a gas holder.

The reflex pipe 22 is arranged to lead the reflux from a plate 19 to the base of the tower where it can be introduced into the hotter portion of the tower through the pipe 23, or it may be withdrawn through the pipe 24. When introduced into the hotter porn tion of the ractionating tower 18, the condensate comes into contact with the hot gases from producer 1 whereby additional cracking ta es place. More than one reflux line 22 may be used, leading from different-plates 19. Whena lurality of reflux lines are used to lead "rom separate plates 19, the condensates passed therethrough will be oils of different specific gravities and different qualities which may be subjected to further treatment in the tower 18, or they may be withdrawn from the 'system for other uses. The lighter oils will, of course, be drawn from the top shelves 19 of the fractionator and heavy oils 'from lowery shelves. The heavy oils that may be withdrawn ,through the pipe 2() may Ibe passed through first caused to produce carbon dioxide in` the lower part of the gas producer and, when the proper amount of air is introduced, this carbon dioxide is converted into carbon monoxide in upper layers of the incandescent `coal orcoke. Superheated steam is admitted through the pipe 12 and forms water gas in accordance with the well known reaction and the combined gases meet t e oil vapors-that pass downwardly througi the upperhportion of the producer and the mixture passes through the line `13 as above indicated. Reactions appear to take place between the gases and vapors, but on account of the fact that there are so many 25. through the spray box 6.

different hydrocarbons present in the mineral oil vapors, the reactions of which are very complicated, it is not certain what the various chemical reactions are in the different reaction zones.

The following is given as an illustration of results that have actually been obtained with an installation of this character. Vith a gas producer 1, about 7 high and 14l in internal diameter and a fractionating ytower 18, about 14 high and 12 in diameter arranged as illustrated in Fig. 1, I charged the producer with ordinary foundry coke and raised the temperature to about 800 F. and charged superheated steam through pipe 12 at a temperature of above 600 F. A vacuum punip of the eccentric piston type was set in operation as shown at 35 and a small amount of air was admitted through the valve 49. Petroleum oil having a boiling point such that about 12% could be distilled oif between 500 F.V and 600 F., the remainder boiling about- 600 F., was introduced from the injector This oil was the residue from a pressure cracking operation commonly called pressure still tar in the trade. The installa'- tion was operated for several hours and during that entire time gases obtained from the receiver 29 burned `with a high calorific value and distillates collected from the pipe 31 contained 65% ofthe material that was distilled off between 120 F. and 437 F. and 60% of the remainder distilled below 600 F. i

When operating the installation as just described, due to the continuous admission of air, there appears to be a considerable amount of hydrocarbon derivatives formed of the fatty acid series. And this constitutes an important factor -in the process.'

Such fatty acids may be refined and used for many purposes, for example :-Manufacture of soap requiies large quantities. If the process i's operated with a view of making fatty lacids as a by-product, the continuous admission of air is desirable. VIt' however the process is operated more for the purpose of making motor fuel, a large amount of fatty acids in the distillate is not desirable. When itis desirable to avoid'the production of fatty acids, Ithe installation may be operated intermittently by first blowing air by means of' thepump 47 through the gas producer 1 and permitting the products of combustin to pass out through the pipe 4 until the temperature has .reached the proper point after which the air can be shut Aoff and the oil sprayed in and the steam admitted until the temperature needs to be increased again Another variation of my process "is that I may mix the oil with Ordinar live steam .and pass both through a super eater and then introducing the mixture through the distributor 6. When the installation is operated without an air supply during the time the oil is being admitted to the producer 1, the production of fatty acids is very nominal. During the time 'that air is being blown into thev producer to raise 4the temperature of the carbon therein to incandescence, a certain amount of heat would be wasted but I utilize suoli heat by arranging the apparatus as indicated in Fig.y 2. The products of combustion and blow gases pass in this arrangement of apparatus through the pipe 4a into the fire box 50 along the under side of the still 53, which contains oil to be cracked, and these products then pass through the tubes 51 where they give up further heat'to the oil and these gases finally pass out through the stack 52. Vapors from the oil in the still 53 pass through the pipe 55 to the tower 18. Reflux condensate passes through the pipe orA pipes 22 from the tower 18a into the still below the liquid level therein. After the air has been blowny into gas producer 1n a suflicientlyvlong time to bring the temperature to incandescence, the air is shut ofi` and oil is passed by means of the pump 57 from the st-ill or' heater 58 through the injector'40 and pipe 46into the spray box 6*. Superheated steam may at the same time be admitted through the plpe 39a and injector 40.a to the gas producer 1*.-

While' I have described the operation as being conducted with the aid of steam which is preferably superheated, I do not limit myself to the use of steam as I may carry Y out the process without using steaml by merely producing carbon monoxide gas and relying upon the reactions among the. hydrocarbon vapors, the gas being used as a medium of heat transfer. The installation is adaptable to many grades of oil and the reactions will vary with the sort of hydrocarbons used. Not only very heavy oils and residues may be used as the stock to be nothing herein-contained shall be construed to limitthe scope of this invention by the additional application of external heat on any portion of the apparatus. While I primarily intend to extract the combustible products from the fixed gases, in some cases I may desire to conduct the mixed product vto a burner or lnternal combustion engine and use all the products direct.

110 cracked, but light oils such as kerosene and 1 Iclaim: 1. In combination a gas producer, means for spraying oil onto the relatively cool bed of the gas producer, means for supplying 5 steam tothe incandescent bed of the gas.

producer, an oil still heated by the'sensible' heat of the waste gases of the gas producer,

filmin apparatus -for contacting the gas from t e producer and the vapor from the oil still and for recondensin a portion of the vapors, and means for con ucting the residual oil from thestill to the relatively Cool bedof the producer.

2. In combination a gas reducer, means for spraying oil onto the re atively cool bed ALFRED SCHWARZ.

column 

